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Saturday, 4 June 2011

Mislabeling of Fish

In a recent New York Times article, scientists aiming their gene sequencers at commercial seafood are discovering rampant labeling fraud in supermarket coolers and restaurant tables: cheap fish is often substituted for expensive fillets, and overfished species are passed off as fish whose numbers are plentiful.

Recent studies have found that seafood may be mislabeled as often as 25 to 70 percent of the time, disguising species that are less desirable, cheaper or more readily available - which means you could be feeding your family mislabeled, unsustainable fish.

We have the right to know where the fish we eat comes from, what kind it is, when and how it was caught and if it was farmed. With technology available today, we should be able to trace our meals from boat to plate. If companies are able to bypass honest and legal labelling laws, what else might they be fabricating?

The FDA has the power to enforce better labeling, increase inspections, and improve seafood safety. To help stop this loophole follow this link and tell the FDA that you only want safe, legal and honestly labeled seafood on your plate.